Since they formed back in the 1990s, the pioneering San Francisco turntable jazz three-piece Livehuman(comprised of DJ Quest, bassist Andrew Kushin, and percussionist Albert Mathias) have been performing all over and at all kinds of venues from underground hip-hop clubs to outdoor jazz festivals. At those concerts the critically acclaimed modern jazz ensemble, who are heard everyday as theme music on San Francisco NPR outlet KALW, would do their part by performing at their very best. However how that would translate into the final mix heard by the concert goers in these venue was beyond their control since the mix was dependent on the club's sound-person. With fingers crossed, the musicians would hope that the sound person would know how to properly mix together the unique trio's individual sounds. Unfortunately, it rarely did happened that a sound man would get the Livehuman mix and blend of their three instruments just right.

Until very recently that is, thanks to new electronic gear and a whole new approach in concert for the turntable-based jazz trio. The solution to getting just the right mix desired was simple enough: they simply had to channel everything through DJ Quest's mixer. In comparison to the sound of old, the new way is a clean, clear, pitch-perfectly balanced, final mix of both Andrew's bass and Albert's various percussion sounds.

Nestled in the Los Altos Hills of the South Bay is one of the best radio stations not just in the Bay Area but anywhere. KFJC has been serving a rich and diverse musical presentation at 89.7FM for the better part of six decades, including many legendary live sessions from the Foothill College campus radio station's in-studio live performance space, the Pit.

Three years ago in April of 2012, following a noticeably long six-year absence, the longtime DMC DJ Battle returned to San Francisco with its 2012 DMC Bay Area Regional Battle at 330 Ritch at which DJ Sol Rising won the turntable competition. It was a most welcomed return of the world's longest running, most recognized, and prestigious DJ battle to the epicenter of turntablism/skratch music in the country. Thankfully, each year since then a Bay Area DMC Regional, one that determines who will go on to represent NorCal in the DMC USA national finals in New York, has taken place. The 2015 DMC San Francisco Regional DJ Battlewill take place this coming Sunday, April 12th, at Brick and Mortar Music Hall in the Mission District of San Francisco. Tix here.

As well as being the NorCal Regional battle, the event will also encompass the Battle for US Supremacy as part of the six-hour long program. The event is special also in the fact that this year's will be an all-ages event! Note that there is still time to enter for the battle by contacting usa@dmcworld.com. DJs have until exactly 11:59pm on April 11th to register for the battles on April 12th. This year's battle has the backing of the Rane DJ gear company along with the pioneering Bay Area DJ Cue's (co-founder of the Bullet Proof Scratch Hamsters) San Brun-based Special Tech DJ school.

Among the recent releases to arrive at Amoeba is M.O.P.'s Street Certified, which was released earlier this week by Nature Sounds as a digital download. The new nine track EP from the two-decade strong influential Brooklyn rap duo (whose name stands for Mash out Posse) features such tracks as "187," "Broad Daylight (featuring Busta Rhymes)," and the Street Certified title track with Queens hip-hop duo Mobb Deep. The EP is executive produced by DJ Premier and is just one of two new releases from the duo. The other will be a special box set retrospective entitled 20 Years And Still Gunnin: The Ammo Box.

If you are in the Bay Area and missed DJ Shadowand Cut Chemist's recent all vinyl Afrika Bambaataa record collection-themed Renegades of Rhythm tour when it stopped at the Mezzanine two months ago (I checked it out and it was off the hook!), you will have another chance to catch the two noted Cali DJs/producers/vinyl collectors when their openers will be Dam-Funk and Davey D at the Fox Theatre in Oakland on Tuesday, November 25th at 8pm. Tickets here.